Southern Stacks

Almost two years ago (really?!) I made this recipe for BBQ Tempeh and Fried Green Tomato stacks. They were so good, I've made them several times since. After picking up my CSA share with 2 lbs. of green tomatoes, I considered making the recipe again... but for the blog's sake, decided to try something new. I wasn't in the mood to fry the tomatoes, and decided to try to make a healthier stack. I had sprouts on hand, and a surplus of datil pepper sauce I made over the summer with the datil peppers I grew, so a Southern stack sounded perfect. I whipped up tiny corn pancakes as the base, then seasoned and crisped some tempeh and finally made a sort of pimento cheese to top it all off. These stacks were absolutely delicious! Hot and cold, healthy and full of flavor.

They should be made to order though, as the tomatoes did make the corn cakes a bit soggy at the end, but you could also re-work your stack so the tomato isn't directly on the corn cake, and problem solved! If you can't find or make datil pepper sauce, chili sauce will do. I believe the sauce at Firehouse subs is a datil pepper sauce, so you can always pick some up there!

Southern Stacks

Veggie by Season original, makes 8 stacks

Corn cakes:

1 egg

1 c. milk

1/4 c. frozen (thawed) corn kernels

1 tbsp. canola oil

3/4 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. cornmeal

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together egg, milk, corn and oil.

Add flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder, gently whisk until all dry ingredients are incorporated.

Preheat griddle to medium heat, spray with nonstick spray and ladle 1/4  c. of batter at a time. 

Cook for 3 minutes, until bubbles appear, then flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes. 

Continue until all pancakes are finished. Keep warm in a 250* oven.

Tempeh:

1 package of tempeh

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tbsp. olive oil

Slice tempeh into 16 pieces.

Add olive oil and spices to a shallow bowl, whisk together to form a paste, slather on tempeh pieces.

Preheat a skillet to medium heat, spray with nonstick spray and cook tempeh for 2 minutes per side, place on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven with corncakes.

Pimento Cheese:

1 c. fresh grated colby-jack cheese

1/4 c. minced pimentos

1/4 c. plain nonfat greek yogurt

Salt and pepper

Add all ingredients to a small bowl, mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Pan Fried Tomatoes:

2 lbs. green tomatoes

Kosher Salt

Black pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

Heat saute' pan over medium, add olive oil.

Slice tomatoes into 1/4" disks, you'll need 16 slices.

Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Place in pan, cook until seared brown, about 2 minutes, flip and sear the other side.

Remove from pan and cook remaining slices. 

Additional Ingredients:
Sprouts
Datil pepper sauce

Prepare all stack components (tomatoes last) and create stacks, corn cakes on bottom, tempeh (cut each slice into thirds), tomato, sprouts, tempeh, tomato, pimento cheese and datil pepper sauce. Serve immediately.